Ally got me a juniper bonsai for Christmas. It was such a thoughtful gift, but like an asshole I killed it. I over-researched care and what it really means to be a bonsai owner, and ended up cutting off almost every branch and leaving it in the 0°F windowless garage for a few weeks. I thought it was a good idea at the time, I really did.

I gave myself a little time to grieve over the ruined gift, but then I realized Ally’s real gift to me was the empowerment of being a bonsai enthusiast…or something like that.

So I bought a new one!

This time I tried to find something a little more indoor-suitable, and decided on a Common Boxwood. It has a great shape, great partially-exposed root system, and is just the right size for a starter bonsai. To avoid killing it, I’m going to let it grow quite a bit before shaping it. They’re apparently pretty slow-growers, so I’ll wait until its trunk and main branches are thicker and more established before hacking away at them.